THE AVETT BROTHERS

The last time the Avett Brothers played Cleveland in February 2010, they sold out House of Blues. Before that, and before the release of their breakthrough 2009 major-label debut I and Love and You, the Avetts seemed to gig around Northeast Ohio every other month, playing venues like the Beachland and the Kent Stage. This time they're going even bigger, kicking off Jacobs Pavilion's summer concert season this weekend. The North Carolina band built its rabid fan base with relentless touring, especially in college towns, where drunken frat boys and their chatty girlfriends would dance away to the Avetts' indie-speckled folk-rock often played in punk-rock time. The group has been uncharacteristically quiet since I and Love and You, except for a live album in 2010 and a contribution to a Bob Dylan tribute album earlier this year (there was also a high-profile Grammy appearance in 2011, when they played alongside Dylan and Mumford & Sons). They're working on a new album, once again produced by Rick Rubin, who gave the band the sonic boost they desperately needed the last time around. Expect to hear some of those new songs when their current tour hits town. 8 p.m. Tickets: $40 - $50. – Michael Gallucci